A North Korean top diplomat arrived in Beijing from Pyongyang on Tuesday morning, Kyodo News confirmed, with state-run media saying he is scheduled to visit Laos.
Upon arrival at a VIP section of Beijing's international airport, Ri Su Yong, a vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, climbed into a car provided by the Chinese Communist Party while concealing his face.
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported later in the day that Ri left Pyongyang on Tuesday to visit Laos, but did not mention details of his itinerary. The Southeast Asian nation is a one-party-rule state similar to North Korea.